Spicy Tomato Pork Chops

Last updated: July 19th, 2014

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The first step to cooking a delicious pork chop is to keep it moist and juicy – no pork-flavored shoe leather! Here, instead of pan-frying the chops you’ll sear them quickly and then bake them at a gentler temperature, minimizing moisture loss and resulting in a more toothsome chop.

But even perfectly tender pork is still pretty mild, so why not kick the flavor up a bit with a fiery-sweet topping of tomatoes and jalapeño? Or if you don’t love spicy food, just leave out the jalapeño: you’ll end up with a savory-sweet vegetable salsa baked over the pork chops. Either way, the meat soaks up the vegetable juices, making the finished dish full-flavored and ready to make a big impression.

This recipe could go with pretty much any kind of side: a salad is always good, or try any oven-roasted vegetables to balance out the spiciness of the main dish. Or what about a plate of sweet potato fries? Don’t be afraid to experiment; with such a delicious recipe, you’ll want to make it more than once, so you’ll have plenty of chances to try out a new set of sides.

Spicy Tomato Pork Chops Recipe

SERVES: 4 PREP: 15 min. COOK: 40 min.

Ingredients

4 pork chops;

14.5 oz. diced tomatoes;

2 medium sweet bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced;

1 fresh jalapeño pepper, minced;

2 to 3 green onions, sliced thinly;

1 tsp. dried oregano;

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper;

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Season the pork chops to taste with sea salt and black pepper.

In a large skillet, heat some cooking fat over a high heat and add the chops. Cook until lightly browned (about 2 minutes per side) and transfer to a baking dish.

In a bowl, combine the diced tomatoes, jalapeño, and salt and pepper to taste.

Heap the tomato-jalapeño mixture, bell peppers, green onions, and oregano on top of the pork chops.

Bake everything in the oven for 35 minutes or until the pork is cooked and tender.